We were having lunch together and I was praying like mad. My friend had been in a committed same-sex relationship for about 15 years. He was interested in Jesus; attracted to his teaching and message. But he wanted to know what implications becoming a Christian might have on his practicing gay lifestyle.

I had explained, as carefully and graciously as I could, that Jesus upheld and expanded the wider biblical stance on sexuality: that the only context for sexual activity was heterosexual marriage. Following Jesus would mean seeking to live under his word, in this area as in any other.

He had been quiet for a moment, and then looked me in the eye and asked the billion-dollar question: ‘What could possibly be worth giving up my partner for?’

...

But I wanted him to know that following Jesus is more than worth it, even with all it entails for gay people. And I also wanted to tell him that I had come to know this not just from studying the Bible and listening to others, but from my own personal experience.

Homosexuality is an issue I have battled with my entire Christian life. It took a long time to admit to myself, longer to admit to others, and even longer to see something of God’s good purposes through it all. There have been all sorts of ups and downs. But this battle is not devoid of blessings, as Paul discovered with his own unyielding thorn in the flesh. Struggling with sexuality has been an opportunity to experience more of God’s grace, rather than less.

It is only in recent months I have felt compelled to be more open on this issue. For many years I had no intention of being public about it – it is, of course, very much a personal matter. I am conscious that raising it here may lead to any number of responses – some welcome, some perhaps less so. But over the last couple of years I have felt increasingly concerned that, when it comes to our gay friends and family members, many of us Bible-believing Christians are losing confidence in the gospel. We are not always convinced it really is good news for gay people. We are not always sure we can really expect them to live by what the Bible says.

...

There is a huge amount to say on this issue, but the main point is this: the moment you think following Jesus will be a poor deal for someone, you call Jesus a liar. Discipleship is not always easy. Leaving anything cherished behind is profoundly hard. But Jesus is always worth it.

Don’t forget the context here. This is in response to an increasing push by liberals in the Church of England on the homosexual question. Well done to Sam on being prepared to stand up and reinforce the all-sufficiency of Jesus against the liberal agenda of blanket acceptance of sin rather than repentance. We need to keep hearing that more than ever whether homosexual or not. As Sam points out, the liberal push in this area is not just about sexuality, it’s about the saving and sustaining power of Jesus Himself.

I like the thrust of what Sam said: while it may seem costly, come to Jesus because He is worth it, in this life and the next. I’ve seen so many “come to Jesus” but only to get something from Him (or have Him take something away), and they leave bitterly disappointed when things don’t unfold according to their own plans.

Thanks, Sam, for one of the best responses on this issue that I have seen.

Or at least admitting that is what Jesus is asking. Heterosexuals face a similar problem when it comes to monogamy and the wandering eye. The Episcopal church gave up on the monogamy issue when it went soft on divorce and blessed serial monogamy. When the Church votes to change what the Apostolic faith has considered a sin into a blessing, it takes what seems to be the easy way out of the deeper discussion of just exactly what Jesus is asking of us.

Comment Policy: We pride ourselves on having some of the most open, honest debate anywhere. However, we do have a few rules that we enforce strictly. They are: No over-the-top profanity, no racial or ethnic slurs, and no threats real or implied of physical violence. Please see this post for more explanation, and the posts here, here, and here for advice on becoming a valued commenter as opposed to an ex-commenter. Although we rarely do so, we reserve the right to remove or edit comments, as well as suspend users' accounts, solely at the discretion of site administrators. Since we try to err on the side of open debate, you may sometimes see comments which you believe strain the boundaries of our rules. Comments are the opinions of visitors, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Stand Firm site administrators or Gri5th Media, LLC.